As a polytechnic dedicated to applied research and education, BCIT’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality range from developing practical methods for drastically reducing energy use on campus to creating and testing lofty new green technologies, such as our solar-powered electric car charging station.
As a public sector entity, our sustainability efforts are also guided by BC’s Carbon Neutral Government Regulation, which mandates public sector organizations to operate at net zero emissions and to strive to reduce emissions as much as possible, year over year.
We’re proud to be among the public sector organizations who were honoured for participating in this initiative at the 2016 Premier’s Awards ceremony. BCIT, along with our partners in the Carbon Neutral Government program, was recognized in the Partnership category for demonstrating commitment and innovation to climate action. The Partnership Award celebrates outstanding joint-ventures and multi-party initiatives between BC public service organizations and other partners.
BCIT continues to lead in tackling climate change. As of September 2016, we have reduced our GHG emissions by 49 percent in six buildings at the Burnaby Campus. Looking ahead, we’ll be focusing on finding ways to eliminate or absorb all carbon-based emissions on campus and on continuing to reduce energy use. Our goal is to achieve an ambitious 80 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2050.
Learn more about BC’s Carbon Neutral Government Program.